Chicken Clinic

Chicken Clinic Demo__Detail___8x10 oil on canvas___$70 includes shipping
If you have followed my art awhile you have seen my "Chicken Clinic"...It is a simple art lesson that I have done for YEARS at many workshops across the country. In just an hour, ANYONE can learn all about the unique properties and methods of oil painting, and end up with a nice CHICKEN original painting! ...when my 3 kids were little, the 2 boys came to a workshop (art camp!) and even the little one painted a chicken. I have a "family exhibit" of these "chickens" (really, Roosters!) in my kitchen. My oldest daughter, for some reason, never came to camp, and it has always bugged me that she is not represented in the family exhibit!
SO! She and her roommate thought it would be cool to have a few friends over for a little fun and art...It was a GREAT GATHERING of a bunch of young-urban-professionals last night!!! Our special guests were some REAL CHICKENS and a handfull of chicks! (and with this group, that is just one of the puns spouted off all evening!!) Here is the result of a fun time!!
Please see my updated schedule for upcoming workshops.

A gallery of Chickens!

A handfull of pretty chicks

Sketch of M.C.

Sketch of M.C.___a lesson on values
Each week my art students have sketches to do on their own. I usually take THEIR sketchbook and do a demo so they can see what it is I am looking for.
This one is about CONTAINING the shape of the values...(that is, the light areas and dark areas on a face)...contain by outlining the shape of the value, whether it be a shadow or a highlight....If you can see a shape, and get its size and proportion "right" in relation to the shapes around it, you can draw a pretty good likeness, and do it fairly quickly!...I am not sure these high school students believe me, so I show them! This one is M.C.....

Famous Otto

Amy and Otto___10 x 8 commission____SOLD
A few years ago, I painted this dog, Otto, with his owner. (see first painting below)
Over the Holidays, this owner, Kathy, contacted me to see if I could do another painting of her little sister, who is now bonded with Otto. Amy has Down Syndrome, and is full of life and love for Otto! Apparently Amy and Otto have a sweet and special relationship, and Kathy wanted to honor Amy with a similar painting...
There is nothing like the love of a big sister (ask ME!...I have SIX older siblings!!!)
...and there is really nothing like the friendship of a special dog!...now is a good time to send this link to all dog lovers ...watch it in a quiet, thoughtful place, and allow yourself to THINK about the words...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H17edn_RZoY


Otto and Kathy____10 x 8___sold

Sketch-Samantha

Sketch - Samantha in Class_____not for sale
I keep nagging my students to put a BOUNDARY on those values...it's the BEST way to do that "shading", and if taken to a careful extreme, you can get a better likeness this way! The "boundaries" of values have a shape, a proportion, and a relationship with the other shapes, and if done well, you actually get a likeness!....
Hard to explain in words, but I can SHOW YOU if you come to a workshop! hahaha!
I just updated my schedule with another workshop in September. Go see my schedule!
http://www.v-vaughan.com/art/workshop_show_calendar.htm

Duke-ish

Duke-ish___18 x 12 watercolorpencil with wash____$100
This month in art class (I teach a few high school art classes in Austin at Hyde Park), the students are doing watercolor works, so I will post a few more of my class demos.
I learn BEST by WATCHING, so I assume these students do, too...thus, my classes consist of a lot of demos. I do them quickly, because there are also many who learn BEST by DOING, and they want to get on with the assignment!
Which way do YOU learn best???
THis was a quick sketch from a photo, and everyone said it resembled John Wayne, so I call it "Duke-ish" in his honor!
I hope you will see my updated SCHEDULE...please come to one of these events if you are in the area...all are somewhere between South Carolina and Arizona and Montana! :)

Watercolorpencil Ponies

Watercolorpencil Ponies___12 x 18 sketch on paper___$190
I am teaching my high school classes about quick sketching and this week we are using watercolor...here is my class demo with watercolor pencils...
Next week I will do a demo in oils for the Austin Palette Club...and I have a whole bunch of things coming up soon....SEE MY UPDATED SCHEDULE! ...and please let me know if you can come to any of the events!!!

Laura's Place

Laura's Place___8x10 oil on linen panel___commission / SOLD
I enjoy painting commissions...especially when the patron says "do it your way!"
I did not have to change much for Laura's Place...only leaving out the swingset and a few house-tops in the distance....Having a "deadline" brings me back to my years as a "commercial artist"...years that I really enjoyed!
I have just added a few teaching dates to my calendar (not posted, yet...but SOON!), and a new show in Montana...I will put all the info on my website, but FIRST it is time for me to deliver all the sold works from Passing America....
If you purchased one of these, watch for an e-mail from me!

Bird

Bird___9x12 oil on linen___sold
I loved hearing from many friends who missed my blog/posts...THANK YOU!
Here is another dog painting I couldn't post till after the Holidays...just in case...since it was commissioned as a gift. The dog is named BIRD..a sweet name!
This one was ALMOST a problem, as I received photos of a DIFFERENT dog, at the same time, and BOTH DOGS looked nearly IDENTICAL. The other dog, Otto, is on the easel...maybe I will post it soon. Bladen (who I posted Friday) was also very similar in color to this, and I have almost sworn off painting black dogs with brown points for awhile!!!
Happy New Year!
I have some demos, workshops and show events to tell about, so please stay tuned!

Bladen

Bladen_____12x9 oil on linen______sold
Bladen is the beloved friend of a friend, commissioned by a friend!
Knowing that Bladen is very sick made me really enjoy painting this one-a Christmas commission for D.W. to give to J.P....I waited to post it, just in case J.W was looking at my blog!
I have MISSED the regular posting and visiting with my blog-friends, and apologize for being "quiet" for a whole month. This is the longest break I have had since starting to blog about 5 years ago!
Did you enjoy the break from my art???...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Kelly's Coach on First

Kelly's Coach on First__10 x 8 oil on linen panel___SOLD to Kelly

A Christmas commission...I am painting some works for friends and patrons and collectors who have gifts to give....Merry CHRISTmas, y'all!

Hunter's Fence

Hunter's Fence__6x8 oil on linen panel___$190 ...wet

Below is the plein air version of this one...my "state 1", which was a demonstration at my Fredericksburg workshop a few weeks ago....I was making some points about painting trees. Just yesterday I was sitting at the Hyde Park Marketplace, in Austin, showing some work and tending to some student art projects, and decided to finish this one....Without any reference, I just started putting some dark colors into the foreground. A boy watching me said, "I like that fence!"

I said "What fence?" ...He pointed to some strokes that he said look like a fence, so I went with it!

Then I told him I would name the painting after him! ...I hope he is looking at the blog today!

Hi Hunter!

Hunter's Fence- state 1

Cowsides

Cowsides___6x8 oil on linen___$250
This is another one from my November workshop in Fredericksburg...Hey KF, let me know what you think!

Cowside

Cowside___8x10 oil on linen panel___for K.F....I THINK!
I began this one as a one-color value sketch...demonstrating how our brush is a "shape-maker" and not a "line-maker" as a pencil is...I intended to fill the canvas with various views of the cattle in the pasture, but somehow ended up creating a composition with the elements there....ah well....I got carried away...

Moonlift

Moonlift___8x6 oil study on linen panel___$190
Yesterday's painting is literally the "other side" of this one. I painted it facing west as the sun went down, and called it "Sunslide" for a special reason. Immediately after painting it, I turned to the east to paint the full moon rising. But because of the cloud cover, we never really saw the moon, but could see the "lift" of moonlight from behind the clouds. So that explains the title of this one....Both were "lessons" or demos painted during my last workshop in Texas. We had been hoping for some interesting skies and were mostly given CLEAR BLUE skies...until this one evening.

Sunslide

Sunslide___6x8 oil study on linen panel___$190
Here I resume works from my recent workshop in Fredericksburg...hello to the workshop gang! For the next few days I will post the rest of the finished studies. I title this one "Sunslide", because the sun did not set that day, it just "slid" out of sight"......Happy Holidays to all!!!

If I miss a few days of posting art, you can almost be sure something is not well...
I have lost a dear, dear Brother-in-Law....more of a brother to me, since he has been in our family from the time I was a little girl... Doyle Bridgefarmer married my sister, Mary in 1970, and was the father of SIX of my nieces and nephews....He was sick since summer, and cancer claimed him just before Thanksgiving....so, it has been a sweet month of much time spent at their house, and with all the family.
My family is rather fun-loving and very up-beat, so having this time to say long goodbyes has been good for many reasons, but now we have the long process of missing him...